


Close to the Edge, Down by the Corner

by Athon



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Dream Bubble, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-10
Updated: 2012-09-10
Packaged: 2017-11-13 23:09:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/508720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Athon/pseuds/Athon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which John meets a Rust Red Fairy and learns the joy of celebrating Life</p>
            </blockquote>





	Close to the Edge, Down by the Corner

**Author's Note:**

> Best Read while listening to some Yes or another trippy Progressive Rock band.

           

# Close to the Edge, Down by the corner

           It was a hard concept to grasp, the idea of being something akin to a god, all-powerful and immortal inside the boundaries of the powers that conceived your creation. The Breath answered your call and your whole body shook in glee as performed lazy spirals in the air, still lost in your own thoughts.

           You are aware of how good those three years were to your brain. With nothing to do but watch old movies (ones who you still aren’t sure how you were able to like when younger), play shitty games and talk with someone that wasn’t exactly your sister, you ended up thinking a lot about many things. You had come to terms with many of the aspects that compromised yourself, but that one subject was something you really couldn’t understand. You were sure Rose could explain it to you in incredible detail, quoting some old philosopher about the existence and mortality of the gods and how their existence was at the bare minimum sketchy.

           None of that really answered what you wanted to know. Your question was far simpler, childish even. What is the point of immortality? Why people desire it so much, to the point of wasting their whole lives just to live more? It was contradictory, wasting away one of the most precious things in universe pursuing something so abstract. You could even attest that death itself wasn’t as bad as one could imagine, warm and comfortable as if you were falling asleep.

           Another lazy arch followed by a spiral and the world around you started to shift. That was one of the things you learnt to love about the Dream Bubbles, they simply guided you where you wanted to be, moving through the memories of those who were inside. You stop your flying, choosing to simply float in the air as the scenario changed ever so slowly, coming towards you as a wave. The effect was beautiful, the tapestry of existence being undone and redone in front of his eyes. And you were sure that if THE God really existed, he sure as hell had one of the best jobs in the entire universe.

           The colours shifted and combined, forming designs and images you never imagined possible. They waved and shifted with every second, expanding and shrinking, bright and dim, loud and quiet. The creation of a new world from the ashes of its predecessor, a spectacle once reserved to beings who had reached higher planes of existence.

           You smile, grateful for the small blessings you had received after the start of the game. Sure, it had taken a lot from you, but what you received back was simply too stunning to ignore. With that thought in mind you wait, sure that whatever that Bubble was going to show to you, it would be as mind breaking as each of your other travels through them.

           And you are not mistaken. As soon as the cyclone of creation finishes its path, the image of lush meadows fill your vision, the Breath running through your hair ever so slightly, caressing your skin together with the beautiful glow of two moons in the sky. You laugh, releasing the hold you had over the air and letting it take you as it would take a seed or a plume. You sail through the night of the unknown place, fully aware you had left the image of your own world. You had been under that sky before. You knew the alternian sky from the images some of the trolls had shown you in your sleep. It was breathtaking, alien and familiar at the same time, as if you had been there before, at a time you didn’t even exist.

           And you once more the questions filled your brain. Those memories, were they yours or the Breath’s?  Were they a consequence of your ascension to godhood?

           The laugh of a fairy brought you back to Earth (Or should you say Alternia? Or maybe you shouldn’t even care.). It moved through the air, together with a fragrance you couldn’t really identify. It wafted and flew around you, dancing and singing in a language you shouldn’t understand. But yet you did, and it moved your heart.

           Whatever it was sung with its whole existence, praising and thanking the gods for the gift of life. It was glad to simply be alive, to watch the sky, to feel the smell of the wet grass, the scent of the flowers, and the silky touch of the wind on its skin. It had no concerns, no fears, and no doubts. It was happy simply because it was.

           You harness the Breath, willing it to follow the fairy. The trail of magical dust wrapped itself around you as you flew, making you giggle and squirm. You didn’t knew what it was doing, but you were feeling even more lightheaded than the windy thing had ever left you before.

           You lose track of time, following the song and the trail the fairy left behind with eagerness. You let out a breath you didn’t knew you were holding when you finally reach their source, mouth agape as the fairy shows itself to be a woman dressed in red. (Or what seemed to be a woman, you weren’t really certain trolls separated sexes as humans did.)  Her gown was similar to yours, flapping and moving as its butterfly-like wings kept her in the air. She was a kindred spirit, a god just like you, and, in your sincere opinion, one of the prettiest sights in the whole universe.

           She turns towards you; stopping mid-sentence and making you feel hollow as the tune disappears into the night air. She turns her head, curiosity showing into her perfectly sculpted features. Her curved horns remind you of some animal you saw once in a zoo, but you pay little attention to them as the curiosity soon turns into a smile that leaves you simply breathless.

           She laughs, wings moving ever so slightly to bring her closer to you. So close you can see yourself in the gleam of her rust red eyes, so close you can feel her warm breath on your skin. You blush as she reaches to touch your face, warm fingertips tracing your firm jaw and for once you are happy that you didn’t forget to shave. Her hand moves down, following the line of your throat towards your shoulder and before you can think she has you wrapped in a hug that would had left Jade jealous. Her lithe frame feels light against your much larger body and you awkwardly hug her back, afraid of the mangrit you received from your father.

           “I believe you are the human named John, am I correct? I am really glad you managed to join me!” You are surprised as her voice breaks the stillness of the night, slowly absorbing those words spoken in the same strange language you heard before. You blink as their meaning sink into your brain, still confused of how something like that worked.

           “Er, yes. I am John and I am pleased to meet you.” You manage to squeeze before the silence becomes awkward and she nods, giggling as she releases you, sailing through the air with a grace you didn’t think possible.

           “The pleasure is all mine! It was really surprising to see someone else flying through the skies of my memories! But I guess it is only fair, since I intruded onto yours and changed this bubble into my liking.” The sweet words dance around your brain and you seriously hope she doesn’t notice your stare. You know you are attracted to her. It isn’t something as simple as being attracted to someone because she’s pretty or nice. It’s something different. She seemed to glow with life and joy and you just couldn’t see yourself ever leaving her presence.

           “It is no problem, I got to see something really incredible when it changed!” Your eagerness makes her smile once again and your own heart to backflip with the subtle change in her humor.

           “It was your first time seeing a Change?” Her smile widens even more when you nod. She flies in circles around you and you can feel her eyes taking note every detail. “I am really jealous! I wish I could’ve been there to see your face. It is such a precious moment, as if this world itself was celebrating the coming of new life, the recreation of what we hold dear.”

You nod dumbfounded as she describes what you felt with ease, surprised someone else felt the same. “It was almost as if we were taking a peek at the glory of the Creator itself.”

           “Yes! Even though we have achieved one of the higher spectrums of existence, there is so much we still don’t know! This godhood of ours is but one of the mere possibilities that this beautiful universe presents to us. I have seen many of them unfold, but there are countless others waiting to be discovered!” The woman opens her arms as she talks and the glow of the moons against her back makes you sure you have really become a god. Otherwise it wouldn’t be possible for you to be in the presence of such goddess.

           “And is that why you celebrate?” You try not to let your obvious intention seep into the question, but the way she smiles make you sure you failed.

           “Yes! But at the same time I ask you, are there any reasons for us not to celebrate? We were able to meet, we are able to chat.” She does another loop and you feel compelled to follow. She doesn’t seem to mind, moving farther away, as if beckoning you to go with her. “We are alive and celebrating is the simplest way to express that.”

           “But isn’t just living a way to celebrate life?” She speeds up, the trail of fairy dust forming behind her. You once again will the Breath into speeding you up, doing your best to keep up with the Rust blooded Fairy.

           “You think so?” She taps one finger against her chin, thinking for a moment. “But then what would you say about people who simply waste away? They aren’t celebrating at all! They are disregarding the gift they were given, choosing to live in self-pity and ignore the radiance and glee it presents to them.”

            You aren’t sure how to answer and she notices it, slowing down so you can catch up. “I few months ago I wouldn’t be able to understand what you are talking about. Maybe not all of us are able to see it as we do?”

            She nods once more and you feel like punching your stupid heart and she gets even closer. The fragrance of her perfume overloads your senses and you wonder if you will be able to keep on flying straight. “We only give value to things we lose or come close to losing. We lost our lives once or more than once. We are the perfect examples of that… Oh my another one? We sure are blessed!”

At the corner of your eye you see the wave approaching once again. You accelerate flying past the girl and then turning, observing as your fellow god opens her arms and is swept by the cyclone of colours. You marvel at their combined beauty, finally understanding the source of her never ending glee. Why would someone ever be sad when thinks like that existed?

           You feel a hand taking yours and the faint touch of lips against your own as you are engulfed by the shifting lights. This time it is much more intense, as if your five senses had fried and transformed into a single thing. You could hear the colours, taste the sounds and see her warmth against his being.

           “This is the true celebration of life. Our minds meet as one as our very existence is undone and redone.” Her voice or what you think is her voice, echoes inside your mind. The alien feelings flood you and for that one moment you truly understand her heart, how she thinks and what she is. You are sure this is one of the most intimate contacts you will ever share with someone and you know she agrees wholeheartedly.

           When it’s over, she looks at you with a loving smile, her arms still tight against your torso. You blush and look away, chuckling as she squeezes you tighter before letting go.

           “I hope I managed to answer whatever questions you still had.” Her singsong voice makes you happy and you nod. And you’re happy that you two had somehow ended up in a memory of Prosprit. At least the golden glow was doing wonders to hide your stupid blush.

           “… You see the world… in a really different way.” You mumble awkwardly, still not managing to keep eye contact. “Is it because you’re a hero of time?”

           “Well, we are of different species after all! But yes, just like you can feel the Breath and make it part of your body, I can see the many different twists and turns of Time and understand it better than anybody else! I’m sure it was strange to you as it was to me…”

            Maybe due to your newfound understanding of her or by simple coincidence, you find yourself completing her sentence without thinking. “…But that’s one of life’s greatest gifts!”

            You both blink for a moment before laughing heartily. The both of you float slowly towards the ground still laughing and by the moment you touch the golden floor you’ve already lost time track one again. But you are sure she knows.

            There is a gleam on her eyes as she approaches you, smiling mischievously. You grin right back and this time you aren’t taken by surprise when pulls you into another of her tight hugs. “One would think a Hero of Time would dislike throwing time away like this."

            “But we aren’t wasting time at all, John. This is celebrating.”

            All those questions in your mind were gone now and you simply hugged her back. And for the first time in your life you were really sure of something. Being a god wasn’t bad at all.

            You aren’t sure when she started to sing again, but the tune this time was much calmer. She sung about how the sun would set in the end of a day just to rise in the next one. She sung about how the stars would always be there and how in the end, everything would follow its set path. It made your eyelids heavy and her confortable weight on your lap sure didn’t help at all.

            She runs her hands through your hair, embracing you close to her chest as you slowly drift away, unable to resist the gentle lull of sleep. “We will meet again,” You hear her promising, voice distant and fading. “And then we will celebrate again, but this time amongst the living.”

            You only wake up with Jade screams. The girl who is so much like you simply barges into your room, not taking account of your stupid sleepy face or state of dress. She is only smiles and shouts as soon as she notices you are awake. “We’re HERE! Get up and get ready to meet everybody!”

            You jump to your feet without thinking twice, the images of the strange trip fading away. You idly wonder if the red fairy would be there before deciding to get on with your life.

            You may not remember all the details of that night, but sure remember the lesson she taught you.

**Author's Note:**

> This was written during a bad period of my life. I took some artistic licence on how God Tiers and Dream bubbles work, but I hope I didn't botch MUCH of Hussie's work.  
> I thank you for your attention and sincerely hope you enjoyed this strange trip =).


End file.
